Portable electric light



j. T. DRUFV.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED mAYzS. 1919.

Patented @et L7, E922.

ATTRNEY BY EL Patented .@ct. l?, 1922.,

NETE@ Sllll 'serena autres..

JOHN' T. DRUFVA, 0F LONG MEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSXGNOR-TO HENRY Hmm a co., rnc., or New Yoan, 1v. Y.,

A. CORPURATION F NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC MIGHT.

Application filed May 28,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN T. DRUFVA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Long Meadow, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements 1n Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a specification.`

The invention pertains more partlcularl-y to the character of electric liashllghts to be held in the hand and lighted, as occasion may require, by the manual movement of a slide or other switch device applied upon the exterior casing of the flashlight.

My invention resides more particularly 1n a novel arrangement and construction ol parts, including means for completing the circuit between the lamp and battery, wluch obviates the accidental circuiting of the lamp by contactwith metal articles, such as might arise when a iashlight, otherwise con structed, is placed in a box of tools.

'llhe invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter 25 presented, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, yin which: .i

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through a portable electric light embodymg my 1nvention; l

Fig. 2 is a corresponding section through the casing of the flashlight, taken at a right angle to the section of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view throughk the lower end of the flashlight, taken on the dot- S35 ted line`3-3 of Figi, and

Fig. 4c is a transversesection through a portion of the ashlight, taken on the dotted ot. the

line fl-d of Fig. ,2.

ln the drawings, 10 designates Da tubular e@ casing, preferably ont tibre or other insulating material11 a plural cell battery therein, 12

a wrapping of insulating material on said' battery, 13 escrow cap ofv customary. con; struction closing the lower end .or saluons le ing, 1t a .conducting spring engaging the negative poleo the battery, 15 a threaded sleeve secured to the rear end 'oit the Il@ and receiving 'the threaded portion et the customary cap 13, 16 a sleeve secured to the to forward end ot the said casing lhacustomary collar` or sleeve screwed ynoon the sleeve 16,' i3 a customary lens held in peer tion hy the aforesaid collar orsleeve l?, 'i9

a customary reflector within the forward end oil casing 10 and supported upon 'ment with wing 29 of the housing me.V serialno. 300,399.

outer end thereof below said lens, and 20 a mlniature electric lamp of known character having lts terminal sleeve 21 screwed into the usual threaded sleeve 22 of said reflector, the other Yterminal 23 of the lamp being held 1n engagement with the positive pole 24 of the battery by means of the spring 14:. The parts s ecifically referred to by reference n umera s hereinbefore are, with the exception of certain details hereinafter mentioned, of customar arrangement and construction.

ln accor ance with my invention l provide aconstruction to avoid the accidental c1rcu1t1ng of the battery and lamp, and

4hence there are features of ,construction presented by me which enter into combination with prior art features in the production of the completed article of manufacture and which enhance the value and desirability of the same, 'these new features having to do with the makin and breaking ot the circuit and also with e avoidance of short-circuiting or accidental circuiting of the current.

lized for momentary or short period light-y.

indg ot the lamp, and the `slide '31' ,being` a apted for use when a more continuous llghtm. .of the lamp is' desired. @ne wing tok thev lower end 'of aconductin 'strip 33' which is engaged at its upper en by an inwardly turned dangev 3d on the threaded .sleeve lo on which the customary ange of the reflector 19 rests. The conducting strip ou'sing or escutcheon 27 has secured thelange 3d of the sleeve 16, and hence one p terminal et the lamp 20 is, through the rem Hector 19 sleeve 16, always in electrical connection with the conducting strip which is the inner side of the casing .and entends to and is in electrical engeresscutcheou disk' 36, sprin The cap 13 at the lower or rear end of the casing 10 has applied on its upper surface an lnsulating disk 35, and over this '39 which is placed upon the insulating disk and connected with the depressed or cuplike portion 37 of said disk 36 by means of a rivet yor eyelet 40 whose lower end is vhoused within an opening in the disk 35 and spaced above the lower end of the cap .13, as shown in F ig. 1, whereby the disk 36 becomes insulated from the cap 13 and the rivet or eyelet 40 becomes insulatedy from the-lower end of the cap-13, while at the same time serving to retain the dis-k 36 rigidly in-place. The flange 38 of the metal disk 36 is formed with upwardly extending loops 41 through which the end portion oi t/he lower coil of the spring 14 is inserted1 as. shown in Fig. 3, for the purpose of hold ing said spring 14 rigidly in position and in electrical connection with the disk 36. The disk 36 isv in electrical connection through the spring 14 with the negative pole'of the battery 11, but, asl clearly represented, is insulated'from the rear closing cap 13. The insulating disk 35 affords an insulating spacev for the lower end of the eyelet or yrivet 40, and the insulating disk 39 serves to insulate the eyelet or rivet 40, 14 and the negative' pole of the battery rom the cap 13 and sleeve 15.

I he circuit from the negative pole of the battery is through the spring 14 and disk 36 to the conducting strip 42, which is engaged atits lower end by the edge portion of the dis 36 'and extends upwardly along the' innerl walls of the 'casing 10 to a point above `the lower end of 'the conducting strip 33l and into alignment with the upper portion of the chamber ofthe housing or escutcheon 27, at which point said conducting strip 42 is secured to the 'casing 10 by means of an eyelet or rivet43 whose inner endengages the strip 42 and whose outer end is protected byl or concealed within the housing or escutcheon 27, as shown in F ig. 1. The eyelet or rivet 43 while being in electrical connec* tion with the conducting strip 42 is normally vat its outer end free from all the metallic parts connected with the casing 10. The conducting strip 33 is'always in electrical connection with .the housing or escutcheon 27, and the conducting strip 42 is normally out of electrical connection With said housing or `escutcheon and the metal, parts coniaaaiea eyelet or rivet, and when a more permanent light is desired, the 'thumb-piece 31 .of the switch mechanism may be pushed upwardly, in the present instance, so as' to carry a bent end 45 of the switch spring 30 against the eyelet or rivet 43 so as to complete the circuit without the aid of the push-button 32. The movement of the Spring 30 against the eyelet 43 establishes electrical connection between the conducting strip 42, housing 27 and conducting strip 33 in a manner which will be well understood without detailed explanation, The rivet or eyelet 47 by means of which the lower end of the escutcheon-or housing 27 is secured against the side of the casing 10, has its inner end within an enlai-ged hole 48 in the conducting strip 42, and hence said conducting stripA is, at the eyelet or rivet 47, insulated fromvthc hous` or escutcheon 27. To aid further in producing a structure which will not besubject to accidental circuiting, the sleeve 15 is set upwardly from 'the lower edge of the casing 10 so that by nopossibility can the disk 36 get into electrical connection with said sleeve.

The invention resides more particularly in lthe manner of securing and mounting the conducting strip 42 and in the construction within the cap 13 tocooperate with the strip 42, which, as shown in Fig. .2, extendsl slightly below the lower edge of the casing 10. The construction as awhole has been designed with the view of avoiding acci- `dental circuiting through the battery and lamp, andl to accomplish thisv result by means and combinations which are positive in the performance of their functions.l

I may also add that when the cap 13 is screwed downwardly to a slight extent suilicient to carry the metal plate36 from the conducting strip 42, the circuit cannot be contact of the slide or push button with some article tending to move the same to operative position.

What l claim as my invention and .desire vto lsecure by4 Letters-Patent, is:

1. ln a battery handy lamp having on the rear4 end of its casing a removable cap and a conducting strip extending forwardly within and from belowv said casing, an insulating disk upon the inner face 'of said cap,-

a metal plate secured over said disk having a raised rim portion spaced from said cap,

land a coiled spring secured on said rim orv tionfand en aging-the negative pole o the battery, sai rim portion engaging the rear end of said conducting strip when said' cap isapplied t0 position, the means. securing Magica said metal plate being insulated from said cap and the means securing said spring on said rim portion being loops formed on said portion through which said spring is threaded. v

2. In a battery hand lamp having on the rear end of its casing a removable cap and a conducting strip extending forwardly within and from below said casing, an insulating disk upon the inner face of said cap, a second insulating disk on said first4 mentloned disk, a metal plate secured upon said second disk and having a rim portion spaced from said 4cap and a coiled spring secured on said plate and engaging'the negative pole of the battery, sa1d rim portion of said plate engaging the rear end of said'conducting strip when said cap is applied to position.

3. In a battery hand lamp having on the rear end of its casing a removable cap and a conducting strip extending forwardly within and from below said caslng, an insulating disk upon the inner face of said cap and having an opening, a second insulating disk on said irst-mentioned disk, a metal plate secured upon said second disk having a raised rim portion spaced froin said cap, and a coiled spring secured on said rim portion and engaging the negative pole of the battery, said rim portion engaging the rear end of said conducting strip when said cap is applied to position,' the means Securing said metal platefonsaid second disk Dein a rivet which extendsv through said insulating disk and plate and into the said opening 1n the' said first disk' and is spaced from said cap,

and the means securing said spring on said rim portion being loops formed on said portion through which said spring is threaded.` Signed at Springfield', in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, this 23rd day of May, A. D. 1919.' 1

' JOHN T. DRUFVA.

Witnesses:

P. K. TERRILL, A. F. STEPHENSON. 

